Sedgwick County Commissioners approved a policy Wednesday for reinvestment housing incentive districts. They hope will it will increase the amount of quality, affordable housing in the area.
State law authorizes eligible cities and counties to designate RHIDs where the lack of housing has been identified as deterring economic growth.
Chairman Ryan Baty says preliminary estimates have the county 30 to 50 thousand housing units short.
RHIDs operate much like Tax Increment Financing (TIF), where certain incremental property tax revenues that occur as a result of increased taxable real property valuation, due to the RHID, may be used to fund allowable infrastructure expenditures as outlined by the state.
If a city were to approve a RHID, they would notify the county, who could nullify it within 30 days if they determine it would have an adverse effect on the county.
In other county news, Commissioners approved a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Attorney’s office for an annual grant worth more than $217 thousand to fund two new positions within the District Attorney’s Office.
The positions will be appointed as Special Assistant United States Attorneys, or SAUSA’s. As part of the Midwest Region of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas will dedicate the SAUSAs to prosecuting those involved in drug trafficking, money laundering and weapons offenses.
Commissioners also approved grant applications to the Kansas Department of Corrections to fund county corrections efforts. A nearly $5.8 million grant would help fund adult programs while another $4.2 million grant would fund programs for juveniles. To receive these grants, the county must provide a plan to the state by May 1.